Michigan Tech’s location on the Keweenaw Waterway affords students,
faculty, and staff access to the embayments, islands and open waters
of Lake Superior.
The
university operates the R/V Agassiz in support of its mission
in aquatic sciences. Custom built for Michigan Tech in 2002, the
36-foot, aluminum-hulled Agassiz is powered by twin 200 hp Volvo
diesel engines, the vessel has a top speed of 25 mph and a cruising
radius of 250 miles. The boat is designed, constructed, inspected
and outfitted for use on the open waters of Lake Superior day and
night and at all seasons of the year.
The
vessel features a heated pilot house with the latest in electronic
navigation equipment and a cuddy cabin with marine head. Deck gear
includes two oceanographic winch – davit systems.
The
vessel is inspected and certified by the U.S. Coast Guard and carries
a full complement of safety gear. The Agassiz is operated by a licensed
captain and can carry 18 passengers. Charters are available for
educational and research purposes.
The
new vessel supports the university's education and research mission
on Lake Superior. Approximately two-thirds of the hull is devoted
to open deck space, equipped with dual winch and davit systems for
deployment of mechanical and computer-aided sampling and measurement
devices. A removable 10-meter mast will support air quality sampling
at the water's surface and at elevation.
The cabin has state-of-the-art electronics featuring compass, radio,
cell phone and an integrated Furuno navigation system (depth, GPS,
radar and electronic plotting). A scientist's station in the pilot
house houses computing equipment, linked through the bulkhead to
deployable sampling devices. Below decks, a cuddy cabin provides
room for the head and equipment storage.
The boat will accommodate a pilot, deck hand and 18 guests for class trips and on the order of 6 scientists, gear and samples for research work. We have provisionally named the vessel the R/V Aggasiz in honor of Louis and Alexander Agassiz, father and son, natural scientist and civil engineer, with close ties to Lake Superior and the Copper Country in the 19th Century.
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Click on the snapshot for a larger image.
R/V Agassiz on Keweenaw Waterway
Photos
by Joan Chadde, Western U.P. Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental
Education
Dr. Martin Auer speaking on the R/V Agassiz deck.
Sediment was brought up from the lake bottom using the ponar
Lake Sediment on the R/V Agassiz deck.
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